A Distant Eden by Lloyd Tackitt

A Distant Eden is a suspense and thriller novel combined with survival manual and the first book in the A Distant Eden Series created by Lloyd Tackitt.

A giant solar storm hits the earth’s magnetic field and knocks down the power grid. Consequently, all electronic equipment shut down and throws the world into chaos.

When the power at the office goes off which shuts down the computer and the office lights, Roman is alerted. Not only that, he also notices that all the cars have stopped in the interstate, a helicopter has crashed, and a jet liner has plummeted onto the ground. He immediately leaves the office with only one goal in mind, to go home to his wife Sarah.

Told in the third person perspective, it is a fast-paced, chilling, and, for me, a realistic depiction of the apocalypse. More than realistic, it is instructive. It spreads awareness and poses warning against a possible and serious threat to mankind. It portrays survival instinct in its most extreme form. Moreover, it emphasizes the importance of conservation, self-preservation and self-defense.

The writing style makes the book an easy read. Furthermore, the author creates tough characters like Roman and his nephew Adrian. My favorite, however, is Matthew. He is not just smart. Even under the most unpleasant circumstances, he shows compassion and holds on to his Christian faith.

All in all, it is an enjoyable and interesting read. However, some scenes may be too violent and gory for other readers. Moreover, there are some noticeable errors within the entire book (like build fires too cook and take a several days).

Congratulations to Lloyd Tackitt (@lloydtackitt100) on such an enjoyable book! For more books by the author, click HERE.         

Voyage of Pearl of the Seas by Ruth Finnegan

Voyage of Pearl ofthe Seas is an adventure book for preteens written by Ruth Finnegan. It is the prequel to the author’s award-winning epic romance ‘Black Inked Pearl.’

Best friends Chris and Kate, with Kate’s dog Holly, magically make a ship out of a log they found buried under the sand. Though Chris, who plans to fly the ship around the world, wants to name her Dragon, Kate successfully names her Pearl of the Seas.

However, when the time comes to sail, Kate changes her mind and turns her back leaving Chris and Holly to sail without her. Alone and regretful, Kate meets and helps an old man who helps her back in return.

This is a magical story of friendship and adventure. It features a boy and a girl who meet and learn from the kind and wise king called The King of Many Names. While the part I like most is their homecoming which reunites them to their families, the most important part of the book for me is Chris’ sacrifice in order to save Holly. It depicts how friendship is supposed to be.

However, I find the plot of the book somehow convoluted and might be difficult for young readers to follow, while the lessons imparted seem too profound for the same young readers to appreciate. Moreover, several sentences are abruptly stopped and discontinued leaving the readers to finish the sentence themselves. Also, the author seems to have a penchant for one-word sentences that some paragraphs look like a series of sentence fragments. Furthermore, I found the characters under-developed, therefore, not easy to connect with. In addition, the style of writing is not much to my liking (ex. Tumbling whirl skirl fall maul, flapping hair tumbling eyes open shutting fear what now terror hell?) Finally, I noticed some errors within the entire book (like What are holding in your hand? and they shed they burdens in peace).

Still, other readers may find it enjoyable especially those who read Black Inked Pearl.

Congratulations to Ruth Finnegan (@ruth_finnegan) on such a nice book. For more books by the author, click HERE.

Voyage of Pearl of the Seas was OnlineBookClub.org Book of the Day on May 29^th 2018. You may check it out at OnlineBookClub.

The Fatness by Mark A. Rayner

The Fatness: A Novelof Epic Proportions is a satirical novel written by Mark A. Rayner.

Keelan Cavanaugh, a web designer for the local university’s communications department, weighs 230 pounds. With a body mass index (BMI) of over thirty, he is obese, and according to the Revised Canada Health Act, also known as the Fat Act, obese people must be placed in Uxford County Calorie Reduction Centre (CRC-17) to slim down or they lose their health care coverage. It is Keelan’s second anniversary in CRC-17 and his failure to lower down his BMI would mean losing his job for good. When Keelan meets Jacinda Williams, he has another and more important reason to lose weight and get out of the centre.

This is a moving, funny and satirical novel with a touch of sweet and delicious romance that would melt the readers’ hearts. Not only does it shed some light on the plight of corpulent people but it also depicts the prejudice, the abuse, the mockery and taunting they have to endure because of their size. Moreover, the book portrays bureaucracy in the system and features various individuals who push their own agenda at the expense of other people.

The author creates the ideal protagonist in Keelan. He is kind, smart and sweet. He is steadfast with steely determination and enviable willpower. More than those qualities, his selfless love for Jacinda will make all female readers’ heart throb with jealousy. His body may be large, but his heart is even larger.

Needless to say, I love this book. It is funny, satirical and inspiring with a little bit of suspense. Most importantly, for a portly person like myself, I find it very relatable.

However, other readers, especially those with no weight issues, might not be as sympathetic and may not enjoy the book as much as I did. Moreover, I found a couple of typo errors that mar an otherwise flawless work.  

Congratulations to Mark A. Rayner (@markarayner) on such a great book! For more books by the author, click HERE.    

The Fatness was an OnlineBookClub.org Book of the Day on May 26^th 2018. You may check it out at OnlineBook Club.